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Claudio
Abbado: Hearing the Silence 
EUROARTS 2053279 
[67:00] [DBi]
A
fascinating documentary about one of world's great musicians.
All
the Queen’s Men – Music for
Elizabeth I Works by Byrd, Gibbons, Dowland & others
Sarum Consort rec. 2009
NAXOS 8.572582 [50:41]
[JS]
There
is much to enjoy here.
John
Amis –
Amiscellany - Music Making with Old Friends
John Amis (singer with accompaniments) rec. 1992
NIMBUS NI 7720 [72:55]
[JW]
Shows
us Amis’s love of music-making and friends, and his unstuffy, life-affirming
spirit.
Arias
for Soprano, Trumpet and Organ Baldassare
GALUPPI , Alessandro SCARLATTI,
Johann Sebastian BACH,
Henry PURCELL, Giovanni
VIVIANI, George Frideric HANDEL
Trio Barocco (Emi Aikawa (soprano), Alberto Bardelloni (trumpet), Ivan
Ronda (organ)) rec. Parrocchia della Natività di Maria, Buffalora, Brescia,
Italy, 25-26 May and 1 June 2010. DDD
SHEVA COLLECTION SH035 [50:20] 
[RH]
Trio
Barocco do not quite convince.
Art
of the Tuba
Fabien Wallerand (tuba) Maréva Bécu (piano) David Defiez (horn) Nicolas
Vallade (trombone) Michel Godard, Stéphane Labeyrie (tuba)
INDESENS INDE027 [61:09]
[Byz]
Szentpali's
striking Allegro Fuoco makes a good reason to buy this CD.
Sir
Thomas Beecham conducts French Music
Royal PO, London PO, French Ntl RO/Sir Thomas Beecham rec. 1936-59
EMI CLASSICS 9099322 [6 CDs: 407:44]
[WH]
Lots
of Beecham magic in a varied collection of French music, but are there
too many “lollipops”?
Sir
Thomas Beecham The Great Communicator Audio documentary
written, narrated and produced by Jon Tolansky
EMI CLASSICS ICON 9099642 [4 CDs: 313:56]
[DBe]
An
excellent achievement – insight into the human relationships and stories
behind some of the great symphonic and vocal music on record.
Beethoven
and His Teachers Music for Piano, Four Hands
Maria Ferrante (soprano) Cullan Bryant and Dmitry Rachmanov (piano,
four-hands) rec. 2008
NAXOS 8.572519-20 [52:55 + 39:17] [BR]
Another
insightful, informative album of early Beethoven from Naxos.
Bella
Napoli Works by Manicini, A & D Scarlatti, Porsile &
Porpora
Baccano rec. 2008
ALBA ABCD 315 [64:57] [JV]
Lively
and energetic performances of music by Neapolitan composers.
Carmina
Celtica James MACMILLAN
(b.1959) Os Mutorum Michael McGLYNN
(b.1964) Lorica Joanne METCALF (b.1958)
Shining Light John TAVENER (b.1944)
Two Hadiths
Canty, William Taylor (harp) rec. 2009
LINN CKD 378 [66:55]
[GP]
There
is much that is beautiful here, though the mix of medieval and modern
isn’t made to work quite as well as it might.
Celebration
Fountain
City Brass Band/Joseph Parisi rec. 2007
DOYEN DOYCD282 [59:11]
[DM]
This
really is a most accomplished band, tastefully presented and very well
recorded.
Le
Charme du Basson Works by Saint-Saëns, Boutry, Tansman,
Dutilleux, Bitsch & Poulenc
Bence
Bogányi (bassoon) Brigitte Engelhard (piano) Clara Dent (oboe)
HÄNSSLER PROFIL PH11024 [57:47] [Byz]
A
Fagott dish that is a real cordon bleu treat.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH La Chasse
Royale - Keyboard Manuscript of Antoine Selosse: Music by
Bull & Roberts
Terence Charlston (clavichord, harpsichord, organ) rec. 2009
DEUX-ELLES DXL1143 [59:19 + 33:30]
[JV]
Terence
Charlston has done it again: another fine recording of unknown but high-quality
repertoire.
Aldo
Ciccolini The Cascavelle Golden Years - works by Schumann,
Chopin & Grieg
Aldo Ciccolini (piano) rec. 2002/2004
CASCAVELLE VEL3141 [6 CDs: 369:32] [JW]
Ciccolini
- a lovely, warm touch, the most gorgeous sounds, articulation ranging
from feathery insinuation to powerful extroversion.
Clarinet
Rhapsody Leo WEINER (1885-1960)
Peregi Verbunk Claude DEBUSSY
(1862-1918) Première rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano Robert
SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Fantasiestücke for Clarinet and
Piano Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano James WATERSON
(1834-1893) Morceau de Concert: Andante and Polonaise
Christine MacDonnell (clarinet) Ron Levy (piano)
Artist's Own Label NO NUMBER [51:10]
[OL]
A
very fine clarinet player but …
The
Very Best of Placido Domingo
EMI CLASSICS 6486762 [75:02 + 73:55] [DBe]
An
interesting album which showcases the versatility of this fine singer
but only intermittently his ‘very best’.
Echoes
of Paris - Works for violin & piano by Poulenc, Stravinsky,
Debussy & Prokofiev
Augustin Hadelich (violin) Robert Kulek (piano) rec. 2010
AVIE AV2216 [71:40] [WH]
A
highly recommendable programme.
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH English
Spring Arnold
BAX (1883-1953) Spring Fire (1913) [32:33] Frederick
DELIUS (1862-1934) Idylle de Printemps (1889)
[10:45]; North Country Sketches: The March of Spring (1914)
[10:08] Frank BRIDGE (1879-1941)
Enter Spring (1927) [20:50]
The Halle/Sir Mark Elder rec. 2010
HALLE CD HLL 7528 [74:30]
[RB]
A
winner on all counts.
My
Fayre Ladye –
Images of Women in Medieval England
Lionheart rec. 1996
NIMBUS NI 5512 [60:09]
[JW]
This
fine disc has worn very well over the last decade and a half.
Gardens
of Spain Songs by Nin, Wolf, Bizet, Delibes, Weill,
Strauss, Obradors & Moreno Torroba
Lyne Fortin (soprano) Esther Gonthier (piano) rec. 2010
ANALEKTA AN 29972 [63:56]
[Byz]
Melancholy
and moving … infectious and cheery
Hidden
Waters Stephen GOSS (b.1964)
The Raw and the Cooked; Still the Sea Christopher
William PIERCE (b.1975) Adagio and Fugue; Three Pieces Roland
DYENS (b.1955) Niterói; Comme des Grands (2010) [10:40]
ChromaDuo (guitars) rec. 2010
CHROMADUO no number [57:47]
[Byz]
Excellent
and very accessible solo and duo guitar music
Impromptu
A Treasury of Extemporaneous Piano Compositions 1821-2008
Margarita Glebov (piano) rec. 2008/9
MUSIC & ARTS CD-1245 [74:55]
[Byz]
An
extended and varied programme of impromptus … reasonably well-known
examples with some rarities.
Just
for Fun: Riff-Raff and Rhumba Robert
ELMORE (1913-1985)
Rhumba Fantasy on Nursery Tunes Guy BOVET
(b.1942) Salamanca Giles SWAYNE
(b.1946) Riff-Raff Maurice DURUFLÉ
(1902-1986) Scherzo Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Fantasia and Fugue in A minor
Florence
Mustric (organ) rec. 2007
MSR CLASSICS MS 1272 [63:56]
[Byz]
A
programme that requires playfulness more than virtuosity.
Click
for alphabetical listings by composer:
[Part
1 New] [Part
2 A-B] [Part 3 C-L]
[Part 4 M-R] [Part
5 S-Z]
[Part 6 Misc A-L] [Part
7 Misc M-Z]
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